Compassion Wheel
Can the Tibetan Buddhist practices of compassion apply in a hostile modern world? Doug Swift spends a year with the KTC Buddhist Center in Columbus, Ohio. He tells the stories of Lama Kathy Wesley, the resident teacher, neurologist Julie Brevzinsky-Lewis, therapist Bethany Dwinnel, and many others at the center, as they apply the practices to some of the biggest challenges in their lives. Swift turns the year-long project into an experiment for himself. Listen to learn how it turns out.
Episode 1: The Challenge
Why did Kathy Wesley transition from journalism to become a Tibetan Buddhist Lama? Why did neurologist Julie Brefczynski-Lewis incorporate Tibetan Buddhist compassion practices into her research? Both are addressing modern problems at the root: the essential challenge.
Episode 2: Kids's Class
Studies show that toddlers get more pleasure giving than receiving. But culture can override these natural impulses. We find a place where kids are taught compassion practices, an important skill to have in the context of our mental health crisis.
Episode 3: Huck and Tim
Huck, a high school theater kid who was raised with the KTC Center teachings, was excited to have the lead role in Radium Girls. He didn't expect to be taunted while performing, or for the bullying to continue and intensify in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, the state of Ohio was passing a raft of anti-trans legislation, another kind of bullying. How could compassion practice help in this kind of environment?
Episode 4: Emotional Intelligence
Rohit Singh studies Tibetan Budhism in Nepal and Northern India, and teaches the subject at Denison University in Ohio. He believes that western education is very successful in some ways, but it doesn't do much to develop our emotional intelligence. We also hear from a therapist and a radio journalist who have integrated the compassion practices to develop their own emotional intelligence in today's western world.
Episode 5: A Different Decision
Pastor Jeff Gill advocated for the removal of a gold course from a 2,000 year-old Hopewell Earthwork. Not everyone in his social circle agreed with his actions. He faced tense moments. His good friend, Lama Kathy Wesley, taught him a compassion practice called Tonglen to use on the spot in these moments. He should breath in the toxicity, and give out blessings. Sound crazy? Hear how it goes!
Episode 6: It's Always There
The Tibetan Buddhist practices were meant for the hardest moments in life. The Dalai Lama practiced them when the Chinese brutally took over Tibet, and forced him from his home. In this episode we face a dark moment in American history: the brutal killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. How can compassion possibly be a path in such moments as these?
Episode 7: Out of Sorts
Mike Allen could feel the increasing hostility in American culture getting to him. It was on the news, of course, but also out in the world, at work, everywhere. And his past was full of conflict and martial thinking. Could compassion practice lead him to a place of kindness within himself, so that was what he could be giving to others?
Episode 8: Breakdown
Eric Weinberg thought he was taking the job of his dreams. Instead, he would lose almost everything, and that would turn out to be OK. The image he was building up of himself, it was false in many ways. Still, the journey to authenticity is painful, and compassion practice helped.
Episode 9: Interconnected
In this final episode, we look at a study that shows why compassion practice works, and we look at the world-wide obstacles that threaten our ability to be compassionate. Doug Swift's year-long experiement of practicing compassion comes to an end. How did it go? Listen in!
